This invention relates to a display object selection system for selecting an object appearing on a display screen.
A user sometimes calls a telephone by specifying the corresponding display object on a display screen in the home or the office. For instance, it is very convenient to make a telephone call to a party by selection of a corresponding display object on a browsed web page. More specifically, while a user is accessing a web page or home page of a mail order trader, the user clicks a certain display area on the web page to call up a person in charge of the mail order service, and then makes an order to the person over the phone.
There is another example, in which a call destination list is displayed on a screen with a phone directory file, and then a user selects a certain display area to call up a corresponding person.
By the way, when a user selects a display object on a screen of a personal computer, the user is not necessarily close to the personal computer. The user sometimes feels more comfortable to be far from the personal computer, when the user need not manipulate the keyboard, mouse device, or the like inputting device. Moreover, when the user selects among display objects on the display screen of a television set, the user may prefer to select them by means of a remote selection device.
When the user selects a display object to call up a party using a personal computer, a television set, or a like system remote from the user, it is remarkably difficult to talk over the telephone.
For instance, when the user call up by selecting a display object on the display screen of the personal computer and uses the telephone function of the personal computer, the user usually talks over the telephone with a microphone and a speaker both attached to the personal computer. However, when the user selects among display objects by using an infrared ray device or the like remote control device, the user is away from the microphone and the speaker. Therefore, the user feels uncomfortable to talk over the telephone with noise.
JPUUA(Japanese Published Unexamined Utility Model Application) H4-48745 and JPUPA(Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application) H6-319173 disclose a related technology. These publications disclose a configuration in which a remote control device of a television set also has a function of a telephone set.
The purpose of the present invention is accordingly to enable a user to talk over a telephone without any trouble when the user selects among display objects on a display screen away from the display screen by a remote selection device.
According to the present invention, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a display object selection device separate from a main system, for selecting one or more display objects displayed on a display device of the main system comprises: means for transmitting a wireless signal to the main system to specify a display object displayed on the display device; microphone means for transmitting an audio signal over a telephone line established based on the specified display object by the wireless signal; and, speaker means for receiving an audio signal over the telephone.
In this configuration, even when a display object on a display screen is selected from a remote place by a wireless signal, it is possible to talk over a telephone with the speaker/microphone means both equipped on the remote selection device, and avoid from the problems caused by a surrounding noise, etc.
The wireless signal can be an infrared ray signal.
The remote selection device can further comprise voice input means for receiving voice of a user and generating the wireless signal based on the voice thus received. The voice input means can be a the microphone means equipped on the remote selection device. The voice input means can be designed to receive information other than one used for specifying the display object on the display device as well.
The telephone function can be implemented into the display device of the main system, and the display object selection device can be designed to have a cordless handset function of the telephone function.
Further, the display object selection device can be designed to receive from the main system the telephone number corresponding to the selected display object, and make a call to the corresponding party.